The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-04-28


You can afford to endure the wilderness
march IL it is going to end in the vineyards
and orchards of the promised land. But you
say: "Will the womanly clerks in our stores
have promotionl" Yes. Time is coming
when women will be as well paid for their
toll in mercantile circles as men are now paid
for their toll. Time is coming when a woman
will be allowed to do anything she can do
well. 1t is only little while ago when
knew nothing of telegraphy, and they
were kept out of q great many commercial
circles where they are now welcome; and the
time will go on until the woman who at one
counter in store sells $40, 900 worth of goods
in year will get as high salary as the man
who at the other counter of the same store
sells $4,000 worth of goods. All honor to
Lydia, the Christian saleswoman. And in
passing, l may as well say that you mer
chants who have female clerks in your storeI
ought to treat them with great courtesy and
Kindness. When they are not positively en-
gagged, let them sit down. In England AMI
the United States physicians have protested
against the habit of compelling the womanly
clerks in the stores to stand. Therefore, l
add to the protest of physicians the protest of
the Christian church, and in the name of
good health, and that God who has made the
constitution more delicate than
mans, demand that you let her sit down.
The second counsel l have to give to the
clerks who are here to-day is that you seek
out what are the lawful regulations of your
and then submit to them.
Every well ordered house has its usages. In
military life, on ships deck, in commercial
life, there must be order and discipline.
Those people who do not learn how to obey
will never know how to command. will
tell you what young man will reach ruin,
financial and moral; it is the young man who
thrusts his thumb into his vest and says:
Nobody shall dictate to me; am my own
master; will not submit to the regulations
of this house." Between an establishment in
which all the employees are under thorough
discipline and the establishment in which the
employees do about as they choose is the
difference between success and failure-be-
tween rapid accumulation and utter bank
ruptcy. Do not come to the store ten minutes
after the time. Be there within two seconds
after. De not think anything too insignif-
cant to do we'll Do pot say, dts only just
once" From the most important transaction
in commerce down to the particular style in
which you tie a string around bundle, obey
orders Do not get easily disguised. While
OIhciS III tIc oOOIO llletI tOuHSc3 VI llcp, VI
complain, you go with ready hands and
cheerful face and contented spirit to your
work. When the bugle sounds, the good
soldier asks no questions, but shoulders his
knapsack, fills his canteen and listens for the
command of "March" Do not get the idea
that your interests and those OF your en-
ployer are antagonistic. His success will be
your honor. His embarrassment will be your
dismay. Expose none of the frailties of the
firm Tell no store secrets. Do not blab.
Rebuff those persons who come to find out
from clerks what ought never be known out
side the store Do not be among those young
men who take on a mysterious air when
something is said against the firm that EN-
ploys them, as much as to say: 81 could tell
you some things if 1 would, but l won't"
Do not be among those who imagine they can
build themselves up by pulling somebody else
down. Be not ashamed to be subaltern.
Again l counsel clerks in this house to
search cut what are the unlawful and dishon-
est demands of an establishment and resist
them. In the 5000 years that have passed
there has never been an occasion when it was
ones duty to sin against God. 1t is never
right to do wrong. If the head men of the
firm expect of you dishonesty, disappoint
them. "Oh,' you say, 81 shoald lose my
place then" Better lose your place than lose
your soul. But you will not lose your place
Christian heroism is always honored. You
60 to the head men of your store and say:
"Sir, want to serve you; want to oblige
you; 1t is from no lack of industry on my
part, but this thing seems to me to be wrong,
and il is a sin against my conscience; it is a
sin against God, and beg you, sir, to excuse
me-" He may flush up and swear, but he will
cool down and he will have more admiration
you than for those who submit to his evil
dlctation and while they sink you will rise
Do not, because of seeming temporary ad-
vantage, give up your character, young man.
Under God that is the only thing you have
to build on. Give up that, you give up
everything. That employer asks a young
man to hurt himself for time and for eter-
nifty who expects him to make a wrong entry
or change an invoice, or say goods cost so
much when they cost less; or impose upon
the verdancy of a customer or misrepresent
style of fabric How dare he demand of
you anything SO insolenta
There is one style of temptation that comes
ON q great many of our clerks, and that is
upon those who are engaged in what is called
drumming" Now, that occupation is just
as honorable as any other, if it be conducted
in accord with ones conscience. In this day,
when there are so many rivalries in business,
all our commercial establishments ought to
have men abroad who are seeking out for op-
portunities of merchandise. There can be no
objection to that. But there are professed
Christian merchants in the week night prayer
meeting who have clerks abroad in New
York conducting merchants of Cincinnati
and Chicago and st. Louis through the de-
han Of fha in prIa RI,
secure the custom for the store There are in
stores in New York and Brooklyn drawers in
which there.are kept moneys which the clerks
are to 60 to and get whatever they want to
conduct these people through the dssipations
of the city. The head men of the firm wink
at it, and in some places actually demand it
-professed Christian merchants. One would
think that the prayer would freeze on their
lips and they would fall back dead at the
sound of their own song. What chance is
there for young men when commercial es-
Establishments expect such things of them (?
Among all things Internal, l pronounce that
the most oamnable. Young man, how will
that firm treat you when you are utterly de
spoiled and dragged out with sin going
through the haunts of iniquity for the pur-
pose of getting customers for their store?
How will they treat yous Oh, they will give
you pensionl They will build you fine
housel They will get you horse and car
riage! VIII they! No. Some day you will
go to the store, shabby. intoxicated, worn
out in their service, and they will say "Johl,
you are disgrace to our house. Now,
just look at yourself. Accountant, how
much do you owe this man?" "a dollar and
thirty cents" We'll now, here-here it is;
dollar and thirty cents. Go off. Don't be
hanging around the store" Magnanimity
superb! They stole the lgster from his eye,
and the color from his check, and the honor
from his SOUL and then they kicked him out.
If such professed Christian merchants do not
go straight TO hell l don't know any use Of
having such place, Oh. young men, disap-
point the expectation of that firmi disappolnt
those customers If these things are expected
Of you. You may sell an extra case of goods;
| you may sell an extra roll of silk; but the
trouble is, you may have to throw your soul
to boot in the bargain.
| Again: / counsel all clerks to conquer the
Al -